1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to torches for juggling. In particular, the present invention relates to torches with built-in flame ignition systems for use in juggling.
2. Discussion of Background
Juggling is an ancient and worldwide art. The ancient Egyptians, the Romans and American Indians are known to have juggled. Currently, amateurs and professionals alike juggle balls, rings, clubs, plates, boxes, sticks, and hats. Of these, it is said that the hardest objects to juggle are clubs, which have elongated bodies with an enlarged portion near one end, a knob at the other end and a handle area therebetween. In addition to being thrown into the air and caught, the clubs are rotated or flipped about an axis perpendicular to the long axis of the club. Usually, a club is flipped once per throw. The club is thrown and caught from the center of the handle and the flipping of the club is done with the wrists or forearms depending on the weight and number of the clubs; when juggling a greater number of clubs, each club is thrown higher into the air to provide more time to catch and throw the other clubs before the first must be caught.
A typical finish, or end maneuver, to a series of juggling throws using clubs is to throw one club so that it makes a double flip; then shift the other clubs to one hand, leaving the other hand free to catch the final, doubly-flipped club.
Jugglers sometimes juggle torches, which are generally club-shaped and are flipped during juggling. Torches have a fuel reservoir and wick at one end instead of an enlarged portion. Juggling torches is dramatic, especially on a darkened stage. The torches are dipped in fuel, usually gasoline, and then the first club is lighted with an ordinary cigaretter lighter or by passing it through a flame set up on stage. The remaining torches are lighted from the first, then they are juggled by the performer.
Clubs are typically made of a wood dowel core with a molded exterior of polyethylene. The knobs may be molded of dense foam to reduce the possibility of injury or damage just in case they are dropped. Torches are similar in construction to clubs except for a section of metal tubing near one end and the wire-reinforced wick mounted on the metal tubing. It is impartant to have a well-balanced club and to have each club in a set of clubs equally balanced. The clubs should be easy to flip once, so they should not be too heavy at the enlarged end or too light.
There are of course torches for providing light, as opposed to torches for juggling, and in particular there are torches that can be lighted electrically. See for example the patent issued to H. M. Scott, U.S. Pat. No. 1,496,028 in Jun. of 1924 which contains a brief description of the use of an external battery to light a torch for providing light.
However, all juggling torches are currently lighted by some external means.